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Archive for the ‘Noise Earplugs’ Category

Residents for the G20 may have needed ear plugs

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

It has been a while since the G20 summit, however I have found it is really interesting to see that ear plugs have even been mentioned on such a political agenda. Many ear plug stores have been wanting to cash in on noisy demonstrations and in some cases rightly so.

Protesters, delegates and residents living nearby have been the main target audience as it only takes a few seconds of exposure to permanently damage your hearing. This is the message that peopel are trying to get across when such demonstrations are in play, but how many are listening?

In a recent report specialised ear plugs have been a main focus to help prevent any hearing damage to people taking part in the demonstration as well as nearby residents. Not only do these noise reduction ear plugs, such as Mack’s Ultra SafeSound soft foam ear plugs prevent damaging noise entering the ear canal it can also help people hear more coherently. This is a win win situation not only will protestors be able to protect their hearing they will also be able to hear what is being said and construct their arguement better.

demonstrations and political debates happen everywhere around the world and happen on a regular basis so if there are any events happenign aorund your area, whether you live by or are takign part ear plugs could be just what the hearing doctor ordered as some protests can become extremely loud.

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Hyperacusis in the news

Saturday, July 24th, 2010

I was reading a newspaper article recently and there was a very interesting topic on hearing problem, hyperacusis. Singer-song writer Chris Singleton suffered from this condition, which put a strain on his career and relationship with his girlfriend. His ears became extremely sensitive to everyday sounds, such as the sound of espresso machines and mobile ringtones.

Chris told the Independent; “It started with the sensation of a ‘fullness’ in my ears, a bit like the experience you might have after swimming,” he says. “Then, within weeks, the most commonplace noises were becoming excruciating.”

“I suffered from it for the best part of a year and it affected every aspect of my life. I had moved to London to be with my girlfriend, Emma, and it put a real strain on our relationship. I was angry and irritable all the time and she would have to tip-toe around me. During arguments, we would have to whisper rather than shout.”

To make sure he could hear without having constant pains in his ears, Chris wore attenuating earplugs to lower the level of sound emitted whilst still being able to hear conversations.

In the studio, when he was mixing his first album at Abbey Road, Chris found himself in an embarrassing situation, having to tell the engineer to turn the volume down. “He looked at me like I had lost my mind”.

After a while and countless appointments with the doctor, Chris Singleton was diagnosed with the rare medical condition of hyperacusis, in which he had to refrain from wearing the earplugs and attend regular appointments at a hearing therapist.

“It’s made me appreciate my hearing, that’s for sure. I’m careful not to wear headphones that much and when I’m playing or at a gig I wear special musician’s earplugs.”

Tags: Ear care, Infection, Music, musicians earplugs
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Clubbing experience with ear plugs

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

Clubs always boast a great atmosphere to be a part of where you can enjoy and share the music you love with other people. However, if you tend to go out painting the town red regularly it can seriously damage your hearing as clubs can reach approximately 120dB. Not only is this a matter for people attending the nightclubs, but it is also concerning for those working the nights such as the bouncers, bar staff and DJs.

The solution to the problem is to wear ear plugs, but if you are concerned about the aesthetics of wearing them there are ear plugs that are very small and discreet. By wearing ear plugs, it will help you with your hearing in years to come and what’s more will allow you to enjoy your music for longer without any ringing sensation.

There are many disadvantages of going clubbing; sore throats from trying to communicate over the music, suffering from ringing ears and if the volume is too loud can change the enjoyment of the music. With musician ear plugs not only will you be able to hear conversations and prevent ringing ears you will also be able to enjoy the music as it will intensify and clarify it.

Another ear plug form that could be advantageous is noise reduction ear plugs as they reduce the background noise to a safer level and giving you the benefit of hearing conversations over the music. There are many forms of ear plugs out there for you to choose from and are all suitable for wearing when out hitting the nightclubs; re-usable, mouldable, custom fit and pre-moulded.

Tags: Clubbing, Music, Musician, musicians earplugs
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Hearing festivals in all their glory

Friday, June 25th, 2010

It is the festival season and what better way to celebrate music and enjoy great atmospheres, but the sounds emitted can have a serious effect on your hearing. It has been featured in the Music Festival Survival Guide that earplugs are one of the essential items for you to take with you in your backpack.

Here are some reasons why:

Screaming fans

Yes the band you are seeing are amazing musicians, yes they maybe heartthrobs, but is it necessary for all the screaming? If you are lucky to be close to the main stage as well, not only could you be damaging your hearing with the volume of the screams but also the noise coming from the speakers. Musician earplugs could help you have an excellent time at the festival as it will decrease the level of sound, but still allowing you to have a conversation with your fellow festivalers.

Techno music at 5am

People sometimes like to party into the early hours of the morning and that can mean the campsite could get extremely loud. If you like to up at a reasonable time to see your favourite bands that are starting fairly early in the day, sleeping earplugs could be the solution. With the help of these earplugs they will allow you to drift into sleep and have a good night’s rest without having to put up with the disturbance outside.

Spectators thinking they can form a band themselves

After hearing their favourite bands playing, some spectators become inspired and believe that they too can become the greatest rock band in the world, whereas a matter of fact they are pretty rubbish. Simple noise reduction earplugs could help you block the sounds of dreary vocals pretending to be Rod Stewart whilst still allowing you to hear the professionals and hear the conversation your friends are trying to have.

Tags: Festivals, Music, musicians earplugs, noise reducing
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Hearing loss in children

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

Hearing is a critical part of a child’s cognitive learning and with 1 in 3 out of 1,000 babies being affected by hearing loss and deafness, it is extremely important to have your babies hearing screened on a regular basis.

The good news about hearing loss in small children is that it can be treated if it is caught early, preferably before they are 3 months old, however some are not treated quickly enough. Hearing loss in children can occur due to a number of reasons such as:

Born prematurely
Stayed in the neonatal intensive care unit
Had high bilirub requiring a transfusion
Had frequent ear infections
Exposed to very loud sounds even for a brief duration.

Children are very sensitive when it comes to loud sounds and being exposed to deafening noises. Even at an extremely young stage of life hearing is imperial for children’s learning. The best way to protect your children’s hearing is to use earplugs designed specifically for them. These earplugs cannot be used for babies, but are ideal for young children who are learning to swim and who are exposed to damaging noises.

When my children were growing up, I made sure they always wore these children earplugs to prevent them from getting any infections such as swimmers ear. Children’s hearing is extremely important and I felt I had to make sure they were protected in times when it was very loud such as days out when we went to see plays.

Tags: Children's, Childrens earplugs, hearing loss
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Vuvuzela’s World Cup – grab your earplugs

Friday, June 18th, 2010

What can be said about the World cup? Good football, great crowds, but a bit noisy?

The vuvuzela has been dominating the sound of the World Cup and with the ban of these instruments being ruled out they are set to carry on making their noisy mark. In the stands people have been complaining about the level of noise that these horn blowers make and back in the UK, the same criticisms are being made.

According to FIFA the vuvuzela is part of African footballing culture and so organisers have discarded the idea of putting a ban in place. However, the sound that comes from these plastic horns can have deafening effects to the spectators in the stands. Apparently the instruments can reach up to 130 decibels, which is the same level of noise that comes from a fired shotgun and the same level of the sound threshold for pain.

We have been constantly told that if we are exposed to high level frequencies for a substantial amount of time, we run the risk of irreversible hearing damage or worse deafness. These loud noises coming from the African horns can damage the little hairs (cilia) in the inner ear, which are responsible for receiving noise vibrations and sending these signals to the brain where they are interpreted. Once the cilia are damaged the body cannot repair them and overtime, permanent and irreversible damage to your hearing can occur.

At the World Cup eager spectators have become aware of the effects the vuvuzela tune can have on their hearing and are opting for protection when watching the matches. Football fans across the globe are investing in apparently, “vuvu-stop” earplugs, which have been selling out across the stadiums, according to recent reports.
Personally, I am glad I’m not over there with all the bellowing sounds coming from the horns, but not hearing the commentary rather does irritate me. The family and I sit in the living room with our friends to enjoy the football, but due to the invading sound of the vuvuzela we can’t hear the commentary as well as we had hoped. This is because the vuvuzela shares a similar frequency to human speech, which unfortunately can’t be blocked, unless we put the TV on mute! You would think with the amount of microphones they have at the BBC, they would be able to turn the volume down on the microphone situated in the stadiums?

However, there is good news for those who are soon to be flying off to South Africa. Instead of queuing to purchase your “vuvu-stop” earplugs, why not try using noise reducing earplugs as they allow you to enjoy the rest of the beautiful game, whilst protecting your hearing. Plus it will save you the hassle of queuing with the concern they might have sold out before you get there and worse, you’ve missed the first 5 minutes of the match!

Tags: vuvuzela, World Cup
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Working Out and Hearing Loss?

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

And you thought working out was a good thing. Apparently, it may have some negative consequences for hearing. Well, only if you crank up the tunes while you work out.

Research shows that gym-goers are more likely to turn up the volume on their iPods and other personal music devices while working out to drown out the surrounding, noisy environment. A gym, in fact, may have some consequences all on its own. (more…)

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Teaching is the Noisiest Job

Saturday, February 6th, 2010

Who do you think suffers from noise more, a teacher or a bulldozer operator? Well, personally I’d rather listen to a bulldozer all day than screaming children, but I didn’t really think teaching would be listed as the noisiest job.

Apparently, I was wrong. In one study, 70% of teachers claimed they were disturbed by schoolhouse noise whereas only 60% of employees in the lumber and mechanics industries claimed to be bothered by the noise. (more…)

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The Facts about Deafness

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

I found some interesting statistics and facts about deafness I thought you might be interested in reading.

Nearly 1 in 7 people in the UK are affected by deafness or significant hearing difficulty. That’s around 9 million people. Of these, 35,000 are children and young people between the ages of 0 and 25. Around 840 babies are born every year in the UK with impaired hearing in both ears. The majority of children end up with hearing problems due to chronic infection of the middle ear.

At the other end of the spectrum, age-related deafness is seen in 55% of adults over 60 and 70% of adults over the age of 70.

Nearly 87% of hearing damage is sensorineural deafness. Sensorineural deafness results when the tiny sensors in the ear canal are damaged. This happens due to a number of reasons: exposure to loud noise, viral or bacterial infections, genetics, medicines or aging. (more…)

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Do You Hear All Noises?

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

In a recent blog post, I commented on a failed lawsuit against Apple for hearing damage associated with the use of the iPod ear buds. In reading the warning found in the iPod manual, it made me think about something. Here’s the excerpt:

“You can adapt over time to a higher volume of sound, which may sound normal but can be damaging to your hearing. Set your iPod volume to a safe level before that happens. If you experience ringing in your ears, reduce the volume or discontinue use of your iPod.”

They made a very good point that we may not realize noise levels are high when we become used to the sound. If you think about the way our bodies work and how we have built-in mechanisms meant to keep us safe, this is an interesting flaw. (more…)

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